Medical Foster Care

The Florida's Medical Foster Care Program (MFC) is a coordinated effort between the Florida Medicaid Program within the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Children's Medical Services, Department of Health and the Child Welfare and Community Based Care Program within the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The purpose of MFC is to enhance the quality of life for medically complex foster children allowing them to develop to their fullest potential in a home based program.

The program provides family-based care for medically complex children, under the age of 21, in foster care who cannot safely receive care in their own homes. They must be identified as needing medically necessary services to meet their medical complex condition, be in the custody of DCF, and be medically stable for care in the home setting. The MFC Program establishes and supervises the oversight and training of foster parents to provide MFC services for children with medically complex needs.

MFC programs are located in all areas of the state. Each local program has nursing and social worker staff that provides 24 hour/day oversight and case management services to the children and families. Each program has a medical director who reviews each child's medical needs in the program and provides medical direction to staff and families. In addition, each child has a primary care physician and in most cases, several medical specialists assigned to the child.

Once a decision has been made by DCF to reunify a child with their birth family or other family (adoption) the program staff and the medical foster parent work intensely to assure that the birth family develops the skills to care for their own child. This component of the program works very well and birth families become successful in caring for their child.

Medical foster parents provide a loving home and are responsible for performing most of the day to day functions necessary for the child's care. Each parent maintains a very comprehensive in-home record book that addresses all the care provided to the child in consultation with the child's physician. More MFC parents are needed throughout the state.

Contact Information

For further information on the MFC program or how to become a MFC parent, please contact your local CMS office.